Double Olympic gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold visits Bury St Edmunds' Athenaeum to help launch Festival of Sport and show support for west Suffolk's SportsAid team

Double Olympic gold medallist and current Olympic Champion Lizzy Yarnold was in Bury St Edmunds last Friday, to get the ‘Our Bury St Edmunds’ Festival of Sport off to a flying start.

The Skeleton star was guest of honour at a special lunch at The Athenaeum in aid of national charity SportsAid and the work they do in supporting up and coming sportsmen and women from Suffolk.

Yarnold, who has won every major title in the sport of Skeleton, entered the history books earlier this year when she became the first ever Team GB winter athlete to retain an Olympic title after winning gold at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.

She said: “Training and competing at national and international level as a young athlete can be incredibly expensive with most having to rely on the bank of mum and dad to succeed.

“SportsAid does such a brilliant job helping our future sporting stars by providing much needed funding and recognition at a vital time in their sporting journeys.”

Yarnold was joined at the lunch by Suffolk Paralympian Jonathan Adams from Sudbury, who has also received support from SportsAid.

He said: “Every penny of support that SportsAid provides makes it easier to concentrate on training and competing and takes the worry out of buying a new piece of equipment, the cost of travel to training and competitions, entry fees or, in my case, a new orthotic.

“I can’t thank SportsAid enough for the support they have given me”.

Sponsorship from Greene and Greene Solicitors, Lovewell Blake Chartered Accountants and Abbeycroft Leisure made it possible.

Since it was launched in 2007, SportsAid has raised and distributed almost £200,000 to young athletes from Suffolk including some that have gone on to win Olympic, Paralympic, World, European and Commonwealth medals.

It was the launch event of a week of taster sessions across the town, with sessions still available this weekend.

Visit: ourburystedmunds.com/festivalofsport for more information (please note: Bury St Edmunds RUFC are not at home this weekend).

There is a free taster session of Walking Netball tonight (5.15pm) at Bury Leisure Centre.